Membership

Membership to the Vancouver Hack Space comes in two flavours, which provide members with different availability of access to our physical location. We also have a couple of ways to donate to VHS, with either once-off or recurring donations.

Basic membership privileges entitle you to access our physical location on members-only open times (as well as public open nights of course), while keyholder membership privileges provide you with the flexibility of accessing the physical location at any time that you’d like – 24/7.

In practice this means that members with basic access privileges may not be able to get access to the physical location (to use the tools, workshop, or just chill) at every time they desire since they are reliant on the open hours meeting their needs. This can be an issue if your availability during open nights or more-or-less normal hours is spotty. We do however require that all members wishing to upgrade to keyholder privileges meet certain requirements, as there is a level of responsibility associated with having 24/7 access.

Membership Privileges

Voting rights at society general meetings

Access to our physical location during members-only open times, subject to availability

Access to the members-only workshop areas and all the exciting tools hidden in its shadowy depths (like the laser cutter and CNC mills)

Access to the members-only section of Talk (our very active discussion forum)

Warm fuzzies knowing that you’re helping VHS

24/7 Access

Members all start with somewhat limited access privileges and can obtain 24/7 access to our physical location by upgrading to keyholder privileges. Members can upgrade when they meet the requirements (see below). This is to ensure trustworthiness and that a certain level of responsibility can be expected as they may be alone in the workshop.

Keyholder Privileges

The same privileges as other members

24/7 access to our physical location and its resources

Keyholder Requirements

Members must have been in good standing for a minimum of two (2) months before applying to upgrade

Members must be vetted by the existing keyholder membership

Signing up or Upgrading

How to Join VHS

Joining VHS is easy! Simply select Basic Membership ($30) in the next section, and email our Membership Coordinator as described below.

How to Upgrade to Keyholder Privileges

Once you meet the requirements outlined above, upgrading to keyholder privileges is easy too! Simply select Membership with Keyholder Privileges ($60) in the next section, and email our Membership Coordinator as described below. You will also need to cancel your previous PayPal recurring payment (for basic membership) from PayPal’s website.

Important Information for the Membership Coordinator

If you are signing up or upgrading your membership, you must email the following information to our Membership Coordinator at membership@vanhack.ca:

Name (should it differ from your email signature)

Username on our forums to be added to the Members Category (this is how we keep you informed about society going-ons)

Are you a new member, or upgrading to a key holder?

The name your PayPal* account is under.

Have you been a member before? If so, under what name?

Have you signed the waiver?

Have you been given an orientation?

* If you are unable to pay with PayPal, please email membership@vanhack.ca to discuss alternate payment options.

Payments

Membership with Keyholder Privileges
Please see requirements above before selecting this membership type, as there are prerequisites.

$10/month Friend of VHS
If you don’t want to be a member, but you want to support us by kicking in a few bucks a month towards our space – we would LOVE your support!For less than the cost of a cup of coffee a week you can support innovation, learning, do-ocratic awesomeness in the greatest city on earth.

One-time donation to VHS
Donations are warmly welcomed. Thank you!

FAQ

[Q] How do I get vetted for keyholder privileges?[A] In order to be eligible for upgrading your membership to have keyholder privileges, you need to be vetted by the existing keyholder membership. This involves:

Announce that you want to become a keyholder in the (members-only) Keyholder Applications category of the VHS Talk forum. Please see previous announcements for the format that these are expected to take.

3 (or more!) current keyholder members must vouch for you.

If there are no objections after one week, you will be provided keyholder privileges. Congratulations!

[Q] What are the responsibilities of members or guests?[A] Members and guests alike are expected to:

If you or any other member or guest, sees something that you could consider unsafe you should ask the person to stop. If you don’t feel comfortable asking them to stop, ask another member (or BoD) to help you. We can not resolve the problem if no one tells us about it.

If you see someone doing something illegal, report it either to the BoD or the police. This includes making a gun, stealing, computer crime, etc. Use your best judgement, as some activities that may be uncommon are also not illegal (we are a hack space after all!).

[Q] What are the responsibilities of a member with keyholder privileges?[A] Members with keyholder privileges are expected to:

Ensure that everyone has signed the waiver. Part of getting people to sign the waiver is to show them the safety equipment around the space, and tell them there is a risk to being at the space. It would be nice if you also talked them through how the space runs and what kind of projects are done there.

Close and lock the space when leaving if there are no other keyholders present, or those who are do not wish to keep the space open.

[Q] When does membership expire?[A] Membership expires one 1 month and one (1) day after the last payment, unless prior arrangements have been made with the Board of Directors (directors@vanhack.ca).

[Q] How do I cancel my membership?[A] Send an email to the Board of Directors (directors@vanhack.ca) and if your dues are set up for recurring payments (i.e. PayPal), then you are responsible for cancelling them. We do not have access to your PayPal or credit card or bank accounts to control your recurring payments, so cannot do it for you. Payments made after membership is cancelled (by email to the BoD) will be considered a donation to Vancouver Hack Space (we don’t know otherwise!).

VHS on Instagram

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